Gastronomical Sovereignty: 5 Local Eats Worth Biting

Spring last week...

I've really been procrastinating writing another restaurant review. While I think they're useful and as John has explained to me, they need not require 2 or 3 visits - very time consuming - (I just want to make sure I try enough of the items on the menu to write a fair review), I really do get a lot more joy from entries involving my own food creations. Plus, I get awfully frustrated when we dine in darker rooms and my stupid phone camera won't take the pictures because there's not enough light (unfortunately, these are the kinds of rooms I prefer)...

Spring today.

As a solution and to catch myself/you up on the joints I've been hitting lately I decided to throw together a few "mini"-reviews. Essentially, they're places that I think you should go, their major attributes and/or mis-givings summarized. This is in no way an exhaustive list of the best places in town - just the best ones I've been to in the last month. In no particular order (but I am gonna say that I did save the very best for last) here it is:

Canoe Club

Canoe Brewpub, Marina & Restaurant is by far one of Victoria's staples for good food, good (strong) beer that's brewed in-house, and a relatively decent wine list - plus if you go on Tuesdays it's half priced wine by the glass! Heck yes!

While "Canoe" is a tiny bit over priced (in my opinion), it's got delicious food, a nice selection of menu items, great casual atmosphere, the service is always impressive, and they probably harbor one of the very best patios in town for summer sipping. It's the kind of place you can go back to again, and again, and again.... and I do.

For lunch a couple weeks ago John and I decided to go for lunch. This is what we had:

Ocean Wise Halibut Tacos with Salsa Verde & Lime ($12).

Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Oyana York Proscuitto, Avocado, Roasted Tomato,
Aged Parmesean, Arugula, Presereved Lemon Mayo & Terra Bread ($16).

Prima Strada

Who doesn't love pizza? Well, I didn't for a very long time - see? But I've gotten over all that now and these days I can't get enough. My favorite venue for this yummy indulgence has to be Pizzeria Prima Strada in the Cook Street Village. It is an absolute gem. The menu is fabulous for both vegetarians and meat eaters alike (and affordable), while the wine and beer menus have something for just about everyone. Fresh, local ingredients paired with authentic Italian ones really create a unique (and semi-healthy) experience. As my friend Sara says, their pizza is the closest on the Island to that which she had in Italy.

A word of warning though - be prepared to wait for your table. They don't take reservations and more often than not, we wait about half an hour to an hour for a table. Luckily, The Beagle Pub is directly across the street - go have a pre-dinner drink. The host at Prima Strada will take down your name and number and ring you when your table's ready. Believe me - it's worth the wait.

A few weeks ago John, Jesse, Deanna and I went for dinner. It was divine. Below is what we had:

Blue Cheese, Apple & Mixed Greens Salad ($9)

Antipasti Misti with Salume, Verdure, Formaggi, Pane, Olives ($13).

Rucola E Crudo (tomato, parmigiano, mozzarella, fresh arugula, proscuitto di parma) ($16).

Margherita (tomato, Fairburn Farms Mozzarella Di Bufula,
fresh basil) ($14.5)

Salsiccia Piccante (house made fennel sausage, tomato, mozzarella,
roasted bell peppers) ($14.5).

Stage - small plates wine bar

What can I say? Stage is in the heart of Fernwood (directly where it should be, in my opinion), it's dark, it's warm, there's brick walls, it's a small, cozy room, and the menu is to die for. There's always a colorful assortment of seasonal and local veggie and meat based options, along with an incredible cheese list. It is by far, one of the best semi-fancy restaurants in town. Again, don't bother with the reservations because they don't take em unless you are a party of 8 or more. Though, I've never had to wait long for a table. With the Belfry Theater across the street there's a constant rotation of tables. It's not cheap, but it's not going to break the bank either - unless you order your wine by the glass like my friend Krista and I did last time. That got a little pricey. But it was worth it to have the food, the drink and the company.

VERY impressive footnote: When we were having dinner last week or so, Krista and I were seated at the bar. The bartender who really knew how to time his entrances and exits happened to notice I was trying to take photos of the food - he actually reached up to the over hanging light and adjusted it so I could take my photo. How sweet is that? Good bartender man!

Below are just a couple pictures of what we had since the lighting was too dark to take anymore photos:

Sauteed Mushrooms w/ Parsley, Garlic, Sherry, Grilled Bread ($8). So simple, so good.

Preserved Lemon Risotto, Pan Seared West Coast Scallop ($14).

Bon Rouge

Oh fancy pants! Bon Rouge French Bistro & Lounge is swanky! Red, black, white - very rococco! It's just gorgeous. The food aint so shabby either. It's not the cheapest of places and it is quite meaty (as French food typically is), but there are options for veggies and if you want to save yourself 20 bucks, just go for lunch rather than dinner. Their wine menu is fair with an assortment of wines to suit anyone's palate and the service is always absolutely outstanding. It's warm, inviting, delicious and it really feels like you've just stepped into someone's boudoir. Sexy!

Three of my favorite items on the menu:

Side House Salad w/ Sweet Onion, Cherry Tomato and Goat Cheese ($7)

Crispy Game Hen Salad w/ Port Poached Pear with Walnuts, Blue Cheese and Baby Leaf Greens, Pear Vinaigrette ($14)

Amazing Truffled Mac & Cheese ($10).

Devour

Last, but definitely not least, and most recent is: Devour. A few nights ago Deanna, Jesse and I went to the teeny-tiny-little restaurant for dinner. And by teeny-tiny-little I mean TEENY-TINY-LITTLE - the restaurant has about 10 - 12 seats in the entire place with one server, and one chef. The menu is super local, super organic, super awesome and changes daily. And be prepared to go with the flow my friends! If they run out of something, they stay true to form and philosophy - there's no runnin to the giant mega-mart to re-stock the pantry. It's perfect and really how a restaurant that espouses "local" and "fresh" ought to be.

Sincerely, their way of being makes me proud to eat there. Check the website for the daily menu as well as hours. But whatever you do - go there. It. is. awesome. AND it's written daily on chalkboards - how cute is that??? (PS. Also great for the enviro instead of printing off paper each day).

The night we went it was all meat options on the menu but they were more than happy to accommodate vegetarians if requested. Below is what we had: